Entering film as a director in 1911, Apfel enjoyed several successful collaborations with Cecil B. DeMille (notably on "The Squaw Man" 1914), before moving to Fox and then free-lancing for a number of years. His behind-the-camera career faded by the late 1920s, though, and subsequently he found steady work as a character actor in the sound era, most typically in distinguished, authoritative roles.

Entering film as a director in 1911, Apfel enjoyed several successful collaborations with Cecil B. DeMille (notably on "The Squaw Man" 1914), before moving to Fox and then free-lancing for a number of years. His behind-the-camera career faded by the late 1920s, though, and subsequently he found steady work as a character actor in the sound era, most typically in distinguished, authoritative roles.